Final Crisis #3

and she's single, fellas!

Admittedly, I’ve stepped into Final Crisis midstream. But with DC Comics’ various crises, deaths-ofs, and sprawling mega-plots, it’s hard not to enter any of their titles midstream. The attendant sense of bewilderment attached to DC Comics’ numerous Count Downs and 52’s is still present in Final Crisis #3, a comic so random it would benefit from using the Benny Hill theme song as a soundtrack.

The Obligatory Warning: mummified bodies, a gruesome beheading or two, and a picture of the Flash that makes him look like Bing Crosby. Egad.

In Grant Morrison’s Final Crisis #3, Lois Lane is in the hospital, Wonder Woman looks like that walrus guy from Thundercats, and Jay Garrick, the Metamucil Flash, believes he saw the Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen, who’s been dead since Crisis on Infinite Earths. There’s also a paralegal dominatrix named Libra mincing about the Legion of Doom headquarters, threatening Lex Luthor with something called the Anti-Life Equation (7-11 taquitos + your colon= DEATH). Basically, a lot of stuff happens, and then the comic ends. Despite some cool sci-fi jargon, Final Crisis #3 never succeeds in making the reader care about the story. If DC Comics honestly thinks this is a flagship miniseries…yikes.      

For such a dull story, the layout is surprisingly intelligent. The panels aren’t a random collection of boxes, they’re a well-constructed grammar that focuses the story’s (non) action. I wish the art itself were as good. J.G. Jones is a consistent draughtsman, but his style is lackluster, and the action scenes are yawn-inspiringly static. This matches the story’s underplayed tone, but a subdued style shouldn’t be this boring. Colorist Alex Sinclair makes a valiant effort, but his colors are similarly lifeless.

Worth the money? Final Crisis might get better, but this installment isn’t worth four dollars.

Last Updated: Jan 7, 2012 - 7:41
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Comments

If you prefer a comic full of explosions and figts instead of a good story, just say so. You don't have to like Final Crisis, but in a review I would expect an objective analysis instead of a simple opinion of one guy.

Also, if you are going to talk about Final Crisis #3 you should have read the two previous issues...

#1 - Mariano - 08/06/2008 - 19:18

I totally feel you. I'd prefer a good story, too.

Your second point raises an important question. Are comics are a monthly, serialized medium anymore, or are they just trade paperbacks cut into pieces? Should a story be enjoyable even if the reader picks up halfway through, or at the end, or wherever? Or should readers have to spend extra money on the other issues to enjoy and understand a story?

My whole problem is that most stories (whether DC or Marvel) are written so you have to buy more to understand what's going on. I think that's a way the publishing companies try to squeeze readers' wallets, which, as you can tell, irks me.

Glad you commented-- we're trying to get a discussion going with the comments section.

#2 - Geoff - 08/06/2008 - 21:33

Trades vs. Monthly Comic Books

I am not commenting on Final Crisis #3, but I will say that Geoff's argument about extended multi-issue comic story lines is a true and valid one. When I want to pick up a new comic book, I always see "Part 5 (of 12)" or "Part Whatever". I begin to look for previous issues of current series, and when I can't find them, I get frustrated.

It's better to get the Trade Paperback to get the full story, but spending $15-25 all at once is not easy to do (except on glorious Payday). I want to get the Trades so bad, but I find I flip through 'em, and then leave the store empty-handed because I only have enough for a comic book (a series most likely directly in the middle of a "huge" event/story line).

I guess the only advice I can give is: For every day you don't buy a comic book, you save $3-4. Add up a few days, and you might just have enough for a Trade!!

#3 - Oliver - 08/06/2008 - 22:12

Idiot.

You're a fucking dolt.
bubblegum-(

#4 - 45 - 08/07/2008 - 02:39

Hello. Here at the Comic Book Bin, we ask that writers and visitors communicate respectfully and refrain from personal attacks. There are ways of saying you disagree with a review without name calling.

#5 - Hervé St-Louis - 08/07/2008 - 06:05

i'm not really a huge dc fan, i've pick up and then put down different stuff over the years but i've found one thing about final crisis is true, if you have a casual knowledge of dc comics, this is not for you. i have no idea who some of these people are or what's going on, there are endless back stories that i've no idea about, i'm just going to have to simply give up. I was disappointed with the first issue of final crisis, the second wasn't much better and now i've just had enough. It's not a comic you can just pick up and read without having already read a load of other stuff, i'm going to go read something else, maybe invincible, at least that i can follow.

Also, all reviews are a personal thing, objectivity only goes so far before the individuals personal tastes of the reviewer seep through. The trick is to find a reviewer who's liked similar stuff to you in the past, at least then they is a good chance what they like so will you.

#6 - Chris - 08/07/2008 - 06:34

hey Chrisunt.

@Chris:
Its not DC's fault you're a loser and a moronic dipshit whos IQ is so low he can barely comprehend what's going on.

#7 - NBS_TOTG - 08/07/2008 - 13:47

To NBS_TOTG or 45

NBS_TOTG / 45 or whatever your name is. This will be my final warning. Here at The Comic Book Bin, we don't exchange like the way you do.

It's ok to feel passionate about Final Crisis, but it's not ok to attack people. This site is not like the others where anything goes. Another personal attack from you on our visitors or writers and I'll ban your IP.

#8 - Hervé St-Louis - 08/07/2008 - 17:51

Not a review

QUOTE: "Also, all reviews are a personal thing, objectivity only goes so far before the individuals personal tastes of the reviewer seep through. The trick is to find a reviewer who's liked similar stuff to you in the past, at least then they is a good chance what they like so will you."

No, this is pure nonsense. I've read negative reviews of Final Crisis so far that are very well written and worth a read. The "trick" is that a reviewer needs to, well, know how to write an interesting review, good enough to caught people's attention despite if they agree or not.

The fact is that what we see in this page is hardly a review, it is merely a ramble.

Btw, I completely agree with Mariano.

#9 - Ed - 09/28/2008 - 21:01

I don't know, I'm completely with Geoff, and I have my own little slice of beef to add too. Comics over here are hard to find, priced obscenely high and the selection is meagre, unless you go to a 'speciality' 'pop-culture store' and pay yet another hideously painful markup (which I'm assuming goes towards printing bad staff t-shirts and getting more of those horrible lurid purple tote-bags). I gave up on comics a long time ago, because it was all too hard. And I still miss it.

#10 - Upnup - 01/07/2009 - 01:43